Consumer Protection

  • July 31, 2024

    AT&T Faces New Data Breach Class Action By Non-Customers

    AT&T, already facing litigation over a data breach it admitted to in mid-July, was hit Tuesday with another putative class action in Texas federal court, this time by two individuals who alleged the telecom giant disregarded the breach's impact on customers of other companies using AT&T's network.

  • July 31, 2024

    Live Nation Says In-House Attys Can't Access DOJ Docs

    As it warned would be the case, Live Nation is telling a New York federal judge that it has no in-house counsel that will be able to meet his rules on counsel access to highly confidential material in the U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust suit against the live events company.

  • July 31, 2024

    2nd Circ. Paves Way For Conn. Zantac Bellwether, Attys Say

    A recent decision by the Second Circuit that upheld the remand to state court of product liability lawsuits alleging that generic versions of Zantac may have caused cancer has paved the way for more than 850 additional plaintiffs to move forward in state court, according to a recent filing.

  • July 31, 2024

    Discover Could Pay $200M In Card 'Misclassification' Fines

    Discover Financial Services told investors on Wednesday that it could face $200 million in potential regulatory penalties over its past "misclassification" of certain credit card accounts, an issue that's also led to class action litigation and other scrutiny for the card giant.

  • July 31, 2024

    Tampax, Kotex Tampons Hid Unsafe Lead Levels, Suits Say

    Kimberly-Clark and Procter & Gamble were each slapped with putative class actions in California federal court Tuesday claiming that some tampon products contain toxic levels of lead — and that the information was hidden from consumers.

  • July 31, 2024

    Bill To Revive FCC's Broadband Subsidy Clears Senate Panel

    A Democratic bill to restart the Federal Communications Commission's defunct broadband subsidy passed a Senate committee Wednesday after a debate over how to pay for FCC-related spending priorities, as well as agency authority to start new spectrum auctions.

  • July 31, 2024

    GoDaddy Asks To Have Tech Co.'s Antitrust Suit Culled

    Domain registrar GoDaddy is asking a Virginia federal court to knock out half of a lawsuit accusing it of blackballing a tech company from its platform, saying that after failing to secure a licensing deal, the suing company "has now turned to antitrust law to try to compel a result it could not obtain through arms-length negotiation."

  • July 31, 2024

    HSBC Says HUD Has Closed Fair Lending Probe

    HSBC's U.S. banking arm said it is no longer facing a multicity fair lending investigation from federal housing authorities after an outside complaint that prompted the probe was withdrawn.

  • July 31, 2024

    Justices Urged To Review Airline Price-Fixing Deal Payout

    Two class members in a long-running airline price-fixing suit are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a secondary distribution of over $5 million in settlement money, saying unclaimed funds should have been sent to state treasuries, not class counsel.

  • July 31, 2024

    Wells Fargo Hit With Suit Over Cash Sweep Program

    Wells Fargo was hit with a proposed class action by a customer claiming the bank's cash sweep investment program only allows users to sweep their cash into Wells Fargo-selected accounts, a practice the suit says has drawn regulatory scrutiny because it disproportionately benefits the bank.

  • July 31, 2024

    Include Satellites In Broadband Updates, SpaceX Tells FCC

    SpaceX urged the Federal Communications Commission to include provisions for gateway earth station satellite hubs like its own in proposed regulations to expand broadband access within certain spectrum bands, telling the regulator that doing so would be a "win-win-win" for stakeholders.

  • July 31, 2024

    737 Max Families Say Boeing Deal 'Morally Reprehensible'

    Families of victims of the 737 Max 8 crashes asked a Texas federal court Wednesday to reject Boeing's plea agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, saying the "rotten deal" lets the American aerospace giant skirt culpability for the deaths of 346 people.

  • July 31, 2024

    GOP Senate Bill To Bar FCC's AI Disclosure Rule Blocked

    A Republican effort in the U.S. Senate aiming to prevent the Federal Communications Commission from requiring broadcasters to disclose the use of artificial intelligence in political ads lost traction at the committee level Wednesday.

  • July 31, 2024

    EPA Floats Ban On Many Uses Of Carcinogen 1-BP

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday proposed banning all consumer uses of the carcinogen 1-bromopropane — except in insulation — as well as some industrial and commercial uses.

  • July 31, 2024

    SEC Settles Reg BI Case Against Calif. Broker-Dealer

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced Wednesday it has agreed to settle allegations that Western International Securities Inc. sold more than $13 million in high-risk debt securities to those with lower risk profiles, marking the potential end of a first-of-its kind enforcement action claiming violations of Regulation Best Interest.

  • July 31, 2024

    5th Circ. Pause Spells Doom For DOT Airline Fees Rule

    The Fifth Circuit gave the airline industry a temporary reprieve from a new U.S. Department of Transportation rule requiring carriers to more clearly disclose add-on fees upfront, a decision that stands to embolden opponents of the Biden administration's more aggressive consumer-focused policies.

  • July 31, 2024

    Philip Morris Nicotine Pouches Are Deceptive, Lawsuit Claims

    Philip Morris violated advertising and trade practices laws by selling "highly addictive" nicotine products designed and packaged to resemble breath mints and deceptively telegraphed that the tobacco-free pouches were healthier than cigarettes, according to a proposed class action in Connecticut federal court.

  • July 31, 2024

    Corteva Unit Ordered To Search 110K Boxes For PFAS Docs

    A former North Carolina Superior Court judge in charge of ironing out a dispute between the state and a Corteva Inc. subsidiary over allegedly missing documents ordered the company to search through 110,000 boxes for information related to "forever-chemicals," finding it failed to give assurance the boxes were thoroughly searched.

  • July 31, 2024

    NYC Fraudster Gets Two Years For Crime Borne Of 'Nastiness'

    A Manhattan federal judge sentenced a New York City woman to two years in prison Wednesday for stealing $290,000 from investors who backed her purported investment club, saying the defendant's criminal conduct, including threats to victims, was uncommonly callous.

  • July 31, 2024

    Pop-Up Malware Scammer Gets 7 Years For Duping Elderly

    A Manhattan federal judge hit an Indian national with a seven-year prison sentence Wednesday after he admitted operating a malware call center that targeted over 6,000 victims with deceptive pop-up warnings and generated more than $6 million in criminal proceeds.

  • July 31, 2024

    4 Mass. Rulings You May Have Missed In July

    Massachusetts state court judges refereed a damages dispute between a real estate titan and a Big Four consultant, ruled in favor of allegedly underpaid healthcare workers and untangled a defamation suit over a labor executive's old social media posts, among other notable rulings during the month of July.

  • July 31, 2024

    DraftKings Closes NFT Platform Over 'Legal Developments'

    DraftKings has announced that it is shuttering its nonfungible token marketplace due to "recent legal developments," with the decision coming weeks after a Massachusetts federal judge permitted a proposed securities class action involving the marketplace to move forward.

  • July 31, 2024

    Fifth Third Seeks Exit From Bounced Check Fee Suit

    Cincinnati-based Fifth Third Bank NA has asked a federal judge to toss a proposed class action alleging it charges consumers unlawful fees when they try to deposit a check that bounces, saying the customers agreed to a contract that contains fee clauses for depositing returned items.

  • July 31, 2024

    Chicago Area's Brookfield Zoo Sued Over Data Breach

    The popular Brookfield Zoo has been hit with a putative class action alleging inadequate cybersecurity measures failed to protect against a January data breach the zoo waited six months to make public, putting employees at risk of identity theft without proper notice.

  • July 31, 2024

    TaxAct Customers' Attys Want $5.8M Fee For $23M Deal

    The attorneys for TaxAct Inc. customers who secured a $23 million deal to resolve claims that the company was secretly sharing confidential taxpayer information with Meta and Google asked a federal judge to award them more than $5.8 million in fees for their work.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    California Has A Duty To Curtail Frivolous CIPA Suits

    Author Photo

    As plaintiffs increasingly file class actions against companies for their use of website tracking cookies and pixels, the Legislature should consider four options to amend the California Invasion of Privacy Act and restore the balance between consumer privacy and business operational interests, say Steven Stransky and Jennifer Adler at Thompson Hine and Glenn Lammi at the Washington Legal Foundation.

  • Risks And Promises Of AI In The Financial Services Industry

    Author Photo

    Generative artificial intelligence has immense potential to revolutionize the financial services industry, but firms considering its use should first prepare to show their customers and the increasingly divided international regulatory community that they can manage the risks inherent to the new technology, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • Series

    Playing Chess Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    There are many ways that chess skills translate directly into lawyer skills, but for me, the bigger career lessons go beyond the direct parallels — playing chess has shown me the value of seeing gradual improvement in and focusing deep concentration on a nonwork endeavor, says attorney Steven Fink.

  • Key FCC Enforcement Issues In AT&T Location Data Appeal

    Author Photo

    AT&T’s decision to challenge a $57 million fine from the Federal Communications Commission for its alleged treatment of customer location information highlights interesting and fundamental issues about the constitutionality of FCC enforcement, say Patrick O’Donnell and Jason Neal at HWG.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians

    Author Photo

    Although litigation won’t earn anyone an Olympic medal in Paris this summer, it can be worthy of the same lasting honor if attorneys exercise focused restraint — seeking both their clients’ interests and those of the court — instead of merely pursuing every advantage short of sanctionable conduct, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • What To Know As CFPB Late Fee Rule Hangs In Limbo

    Author Photo

    Though the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's final credit card late fee rule faces an uncertain future due to litigation involving injunctions, emergency petitions and now a venue dispute, card issuers must understand how to navigate the interim period and what to do if the rule takes effect, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • A Deep Dive Into The Evolving World Of ESG Ratings

    Author Photo

    Attorneys at Mintz discuss the salience of environmental, social and governance ratings in corporate circles in recent years, and consider certain methodologies underlying their calculation for professionals, as well as issues concerning the ESG ratings and products themselves.

  • What TikTok's Race Against The Clock Teaches Chinese Firms

    Author Photo

    The Biden administration's recent divestiture deadline on TikTok parent ByteDance provides useful information for other China-based companies looking to do business in the U.S., including the need to keep products for each market separate and implement firewalls at the design stage, says Richard Lomuscio at Stinson.

  • Updated Federal Rules Can Improve Product Liability MDLs

    Author Photo

    The recent amendment of a federal evidence rule regarding expert testimony and the proposal of a civil rule on managing early discovery in multidistrict legislation hold great promise for promoting the uniform and efficient processes that high-stakes product liability cases particularly need, say Alan Klein and William Heaston at Duane Morris.

  • Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent

    Author Photo

    As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.

  • Unlocking Blockchain Opportunities Amid Legal Uncertainty

    Author Photo

    Dozens of laws and legal precedents will come into the fore as Web3, metaverse and non-fungible tokens gain momentum, so organizations need to design their programs with a broader view of potential exposures — and opportunities, say Teresa Goody Guillén and Robert Musiala at BakerHostetler and Steve McNew at FTI Consulting.

  • 4 Ways Businesses Can Address Threat Of Mass Arbitration

    Author Photo

    Attorneys at DLA Piper examine the rise of mass arbitration in light of JAMS' new procedures and guidelines, and provide four steps e-commerce businesses can take when revising their dispute resolution provisions to maximize the chances those revisions will be held enforceable.

  • The Uncertain Scope Of The First Financial Fair Access Laws

    Author Photo

    With Florida and Tennessee soon to roll out laws banning financial institutions from making decisions based on customer traits like political affiliation, national financial services providers should consider how broadly worded “fair access” laws from these and other conservative-leaning states may place new obligations on their business operations, say attorneys at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • Live Nation May Shake It Off In A Long Game With The DOJ

    Author Photo

    Don't expect a swift resolution in the U.S. Department of Justice's case against Live Nation, but a long litigation, with the company likely to represent itself as the creator of a competitive ecosystem, and the government faced with explaining how the ticketing giant formed under its watch, say Thomas Kliebhan and Taylor Hixon at GRSM50.

  • Boeing Saga Underscores Need For Ethical Corporate Culture

    Author Photo

    In the wake of recent allegations about Boeing’s safety culture, and amid the U.S. Department of Justice’s new whistleblower incentives, business leaders should reinvigorate their emphasis on compliance by making clear that long-term profitability requires ethical business practices, says Maxwell Carr-Howard at Dentons.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Consumer Protection archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!